1. Field of Invention:
The present invention relates to the field of mobile telecommunications, and, more specifically, to connection set-up between parties when at least one of the parties communicates by means of a roaming mobile station.
2. Description of Related Art:
Mobile telecommunications systems providing mobility for the users of mobile user equipment (UE) referenced to as mobile stations (MS) are known. A typical example of a mobile station is the mobile telephone. However, other types of mobile stations than mobile telephones are also known, these including devices such as mobile personal data assistants (PDA) or portable or otherwise mobile computers (e.g. laptop PCs) provided with means for wireless communication.
A feature of the mobile telecommunications systems is that these systems enable the users thereof to make and receive calls and otherwise use their mobile stations also in visited networks in addition to enabling mobility in the home network of the mobile subscriber.
Use of the resources of network other than the home network is referenced to as roaming. The roamed network will be referenced to in the following as a visited network. The visited network is typically a network run by another operator. The network can be operated either abroad or in the same country as where the home network operates.
A typical example of the roaming is when a subscriber to a network operated in a first country uses his/her mobile station via a network operated in another country when visiting said other country. This type of roaming is known as international roaming. However, as mentioned above, the user may also roam into a network operated in the home country of the user.
The costs of roaming, and especially international roaming to mobile users can be relatively high compared to home network mobile communications or Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) communications via, for example, fixed telephone lines from a foreign country. A reason for this is that the mobile subscriber may be subjected to costs such as international call charges, specific roaming charges and other costs he/she would not be liable if using his/hers mobile station in the home network. The cost factor may be especially relevant for organisations such as big corporations, international communities and similar bodies responsible for paying the phone bills of a substantial number of travellers.
Bodies such as the European Commission, the European Parliament, the International Telecommunications Users Group (INTUG) and the British regulator OFTEL have expressed concern about, or launched inquiries into the high costs associated with roaming. For example, a recent INTUG study has shown that the difference in price between roaming and non-roaming international mobile calls within the European Union (EU) can be as high as 500 percent. At a time when fixed telecommunications costs and prices are falling, the prices for international mobile roaming are considered by many to be spiralling out of control. These high calling charges are of particular concern to organisations where a constant need to work and otherwise communicate in different countries exists.
Furthermore, users may be unaware how extra fees in their telephone bills are formulated, and on what basis an operator or operators actually do charge them. Customer complaints are often related to roaming costs which have taken the subscribers by surprise.
Roaming costs are present in the current billing mechanism for mobile users. Although it could be possible to rely more on fixed line connections when roaming this would mean that the advantage of mobility is lost.
A number of mobile telecommunications operators offer special International Direct Dial (IDD) services for pre-paid users. Whilst an IDD service may be used for reducing the costs of outgoing calls abroad such solutions are not particularly user-friendly. The user-unfriendliness may be increased by the fact that they typically operate on an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) platform. The users may find it frustrating to dial in to an IVR platform, authenticate themselves with a Personal Identification Number (PIN) code or similar means and then eventually key in the number they want to reach. Moreover, this approach does not provide a solution for receiving calls whilst abroad without becoming liable for the roaming costs. In this latter case, the international roaming costs are payable, since the home number of the roaming user is seen as a foreign number from the actual country the roaming user is in.